ESL One Genting 2018 Preview

22 January 2018 16:30

Sixteen teams are all set to do battle at ESL One Genting 2018, Malaysia, competing for a huge US$400,000 prize pool as well as the illustrious ESL One trophy. Held at the 6,000 capacity Arena of Stars, it’s sure to be quite an occasion in south-east Asia with performance-related Pro Circuit points to be claimed too.

This is the first-ever Malaysian Dota 2 minor, a six-day tournament with the three-day group stage beginning on Tuesday 23rd January before the three-day main event takes centre stage.

Team Secret open proceedings against Planet Dog in Group A, with the European-based team starting as odds-on favourites with several bookmakers to go all the way, but will we see a surprise name lifting the trophy? Or will an unfancied package come out and take the glory?

The Groups

The sixteen teams from the six regions have been split into two groups for the initial group stages prior to the play-offs, shown below along with their odds on winning the tournament outright:

Group A

Team Secret – 3/1

Virtus.pro – 4/1

Vici Gaming – 5/1

VG.J Thunder – 16/1

Fnatic – 20/1

compLexity Gaming – 33/1

Planet Dog – 66/1

SG e-sports – 100/1

Group B

Team Liquid – 7/2

Newbee – 12/1

Evil Genuises – 14/1

LGD.FY – 16/1

Mineski – 18/1

Natus Vincere – 20/1

TNC Pro Team – 40/1

PENTA Sports – 50/1

A European team is 6/5 to lift the ESL One Trophy, whilst a Chinese region is priced at 5/2. The South American region are rank outsiders at 100/1, and the odds for CIS, South-East Asia and North America more reasonably priced at 15/4, 9/1 and 14/1 respectively.

The Format

The sixteen teams will compete in their seeded groups in a double-elimination format, starting with best-of-one encounters leading onto best-of-three clashes. The top three teams from the group stages will advance to the single-elimination play-offs, with the group winners going straight to the semi-finals and the runners-up advancing to the quarter-finals where they face the 3rd placed teams from the opposite group.

The quarter and semi-finals are both best-of-three affairs, with ESL One Genting capped off with a best-of-five grand final. First place will receive a $160,000 share of the $400,000 prize pool, with the runners-up receiving $80,000, and $40,000 going to the third and fourth placed teams respectively. The rest of the prize pool is then split accordingly between the remaining teams based on their finishing position.

Who to look out for?

Every Dota 2 event involves some of the world’s greatest players showcasing their skills on a grand stage in front of thousands of adoring fans, and ESL One Genting is no different.

Team Secret, priced at 3/1 to return home victorious, go into Genting with an impressive-looking team of Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard, Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng, Adrian “Fata” Trinks, Yazied “YapzOr” Jaradat and Clement “Puppey” Ivanov. 4/1 favourites to record the Fewest Deaths in a Map, Secret are also the same price to record the Most Kills in a Map. It’s clear they’re going to take some stopping out in Malaysia, and are really one of the teams that should catch the eye with a strong showing and expert Dota 2 gameplay.

Its no surprise to see odds of 6/5 for a European team to win the title as Team Liquid are also entered into this year’s tournament. The multiregional team playing out of the Netherlands won The International in 2017 along with two other premier events and three Major events. It was Team Secret who knocked Team Liquid out of the last ESL One tournament in Hamburg, so you know if these two meet in the knockout stages again it’s going to be wild.

Elsewhere, Chinese outfit Newbee look like strong contenders from Group B. They had a good year in 2017, placing 2nd at The International whilst also finishing top of the pile in the Perfect World Masters and ZOTAC Cup Masters. Song “Sccc” Chun, one fifth of their impressive roster, is 12/1 to score the Highest GPM in a Map. You can also find odds of 20/1 for his teammate Hu “Kaka” Liangzhi to register the Most Assists in a Map.

If you’re wanting to cast your net a little wider and go with a more unfancied team still capable of springing a surprise on this grandest of stages, compLexity Gaming in Group A could be worth keeping an eye on after securing their place through the North American qualifiers. They may be 33/1 to see off the competition from their fifteen counterparts and triumph in the best-of-five grand final, but it wasn’t long ago they were coming out on top in these events. A 1st place finish in the Dota 2 Canada Cup – Season 6 highlights the potential they do have.

Future ESL One events

Following ESL One Genting, there are further events to look forward to later on in the year. Dota 2’s ESL One Katowice is brought to you from Poland in February 2018, with CS:GO then taking centre stage at ESL One Cologne in Germany in July.